Avast, me hearties! If you’re looking for cool, lifestyle gear with a brilliant story to tell, then ‘X’ marks the spot, right here in a romantic old sail loft on Topsham’s quayside. Back in 2015, lifelong friends (or should that be shipmates) Juliette and Mandi, had the brilliant idea of taking old, unwanted sails and stitching them into nautical beach bags and funky homeware.

The sails come from all over, often still smelling of the sea and crusty with salt (don’t worry they clean them!) so instead of ending up in landfill – or part of 8.3 million tonnes of plastic which makes its way into the ocean every year – they’re stitched on the old industrial sewing machines they inherited with the sail loft by a team of talented seamstresses. (If you’ve got one kicking around in your garage, get in touch – they’ll check it out and trade it with you for one of their fabulous bags.)

Staying true to the nautical roots of their location is crucial for the pair, so all the thread, grommets, insignia and canvas they use is marine quality and sourced locally as much as possible, including the authentic rope used for the bag handles which comes from just across the river.

Since launching with their original beach bag, they’ve been featured in Coast magazine and Country Living, and collaborated with high-end gift shops and museums.

Now, you can choose from an online flotilla of over 60 cool products which can all be personalised with your initials or if you’re after a special pressie for a Big Day or anniversary, a significant date. The range is a gift if you’ve got a tricky-to-buy-for bloke in your life – their marine canvas wash bags are a best-seller for that very reason.

What’s more, delivery is free and your bespoke order will be with you or your lucky-lucky recipient in under seven days. From boat to bag in less than a week. Boom!